As Internet technology continually develops, more and more websites are formed. To enable users to acquire needed information, the majority of websites provide search functions. When a user needs to search for certain information, he or she can enter search keywords into a field associated with a search function of a website. The search function then looks up information associated with the website corresponding to the search keywords and presents the matching information at a search results page for the user.
In some instances, a website not only provides users with information that matches a search query, but also provides users with applications that correspond to the search keywords. An application may comprise a software application whose corresponding application interface is displayed at a website. Some websites have embedded application interfaces where application interfaces of matching applications may appear at a search results page of a website, for example. An application interface may resemble a form, for example, and include one or more input fields. When an application interface is displayed at the website, a user may directly enter information into the input fields of the application interface. After the input fields of an application interface are completed, the information entered in the input fields may be submitted by selecting a control associated with the application interface. The submitted information is then processed based on a function associated with the application and processing results may be displayed for the user.
For example, an application may be related to purchasing train tickets. A user who wants to purchase train tickets may want to use a train ticket purchasing application. In this case, the user may enter the search keywords “train ticket” into the website's search field. The website will then provide the user with the train ticket purchasing application at the search results page, for example. Upon accessing the application interface of the train ticket purchasing application, the user may enter the corresponding information in corresponding areas of the application interface. For example, an example of the application interface of a train ticket purchasing application may include input fields such as “Departure City” and “Destination City.” The user may input “Beijing” in the “Departure City” input field and “Tianjin” in the “Destination City” input field. Once the control of the application interface is selected, the website will search for train trips with the “Departure City” of “Beijing” and the “Destination City” of “Tianjin” and will provide the train trip information that it finds to the user.
However, entering information into numerous input fields of an application interface may be very challenging and time consuming, especially on a smaller screen of a mobile device. For example, the user would need to select an input field, type/input the corresponding information into the input field and repeat the process for however many input fields there are in the application interface. If the application interface contains a relatively large number of input fields, then the user will have to make several input field selections and will have to enter information several times, which could take up a great amount of mobile terminal processing resources and also use up a significant amount of the mobile terminal battery.